Vegan Apple Cake

I’m sitting here in my office, with a the beautiful mug filled with my favorite coffee, and I actually feel – content. I’m thinking about how insanely lucky I am to be able to do what I love as my job now. But then I’m reminded of how much work I’ve put into this space, and realize maybe it wasn’t all luck after all.

Sometimes I put a lot of pressure to show gratitude. I see people posting on Instagram with hashtag #blessed in their captions, and it makes me think that I’m not being grateful enough for what I have. But this is kind of silly for two reasons – 1. because you should never compare yourself to people on Instagram, and 2. because gratitude should come naturally from the heart, and not from peer pressure.

But there’s a certain type of gratitude that I wish I saw more of from others, and myself. And that is gratitude for YOURSELF. In my own case, I kept thinking about all of the outside factors that made my work possible, and totally neglected to thank myself for all the hard work I’ve put in. And I think that’s because many of us are taught that patting ourselves on the back is inherently wrong for some reason.

But I’m here to tell you (and me) today that it’s OKAY to be thankful for yourself. In fact, you SHOULD be! There’s a quote that says everyone is fighting a hard battle, but have you ever stopped to thank yourself for fighting that good fight? We’ve all faced hardships, difficulties, struggles – some of us may be going through these things right now. But today I invite you to APPRECIATE the fact that you’ve kept going. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are today, and you deserve true gratitude for what you’ve accomplished. Your troubles may or may not be over, but you’ve made it this far, haven’t you? So stop and THANK YOURSELF for achieving all you’ve achieved, even if they’re small victories. And if you ever think that you’re not deserving or worthy of gratitude, let me affirm that YOU ARE WORTHY.

Recipe Notes

The cashew cream loses its vibrancy after it's been on the cake for awhile. (That's because it has no artificial preservatives or colorants!) For the freshest looking icing, keep cashew cream in the fridge and wait until serving before icing the cake.

Quote of Day:

Almost proving what I said about society not willing to let you thank yourself – I couldn’t find a single quote about self-gratitude. So instead, I humbly submit these words:

Sarah

YES. You can be humble and still be grateful for yourself and the hard work you’ve put in. It is helpful to look back and think “Thanks, past me.” and encourage your present self to keep it up. Also, this Vegan Apple cake looks incredible. I’m not vegan but there’s a lot of food allergies in my family and I’m in charge of dessert for Christmas dinner!

Sarah

So beautifully said, Sarah :) Totally agree with what you’re saying.
It’s sad that it’s such a foreign thing for us to be proud of ourselves more often. We’re being bombarded with things we could improve from every corner and I know I’m guilty of ignoring my achievements, always chasing the next thing.

Sarah

Ahhh I don’t know what I love more here this stunning cake or your beautiful poignant intro <33 It is such a wonderful powerful thing when you truly FEEL gratitude. Not when you think it or force it or feel like you should feel it but when it just hits you–that's the real stuff. And yes, being grateful for ourselves is such a good reminder! Heck I'm even grateful for the struggles because without them I wouldn't be who I am or where I am. And this cake–gorgeous!! Your photos blow me away every damn time <3

Sarah

Thank you for sharing this, Sarah. It’s true… but isn’t that our culture? We look without instead of withIN? You have worked so hard.. and I get it. But for me, the word blessed sounds like someone bestowed a special something to MEEEE!! I much prefer using the word grateful sans blessed. IDK. This cake is fabulous! I love using apple sauce in baked goods as a replacement for eggs. It does a great job and adds so much to a good cake. Delicious work my dear! xo